Agent, antiviral
Agent, antiviral: An agent that kills viruses or suppresses their replication and, hence, inhibits their capability to multiply and reproduce.
For example, amantadine (Symmetrel) is a synthetic (man-made) drug that inhibits the multiplication of the influenza A virus and was once used to prevent the flu. Safer medicines such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) can be used to prevent the flu shortly after exposure or to reduce the severity. Flu antiviral drugs work best for treatment when they are started within 2 days of getting sick. However, starting them later can still be helpful, especially if the sick person has a high risk health condition or is very sick from the flu. (Neither drug is a substitute for flu shots).
Read Also:
- Agent, tocolytic
Agent, tocolytic: A medication that can inhibit labor, slow down or halt the contractions of the uterus. Tocolytic agents are widely used today to treat premature labor and permit pregnancy to proceed so the fetus can gain in size and maturity before birth.
- Aggressive
Aggressive: In oncology, quickly growing, tending to spread rapidly. As, for example, an aggressive tumor.
- Ageusia
Ageusia: An inability to taste sweet, sour, bitter, or salty substances. People who can taste sweet, sour, bitter, or salty substances but have a reduced ability to do so are said to have hypogeusia.
- Aggressive angiomyxoma
Aggressive angiomyxoma: A slow-growing tumor of stromal cells which occurs primarily in the genital and pelvic regions. This tumor is much more common in women. It can range from relatively small tumors to football-size masses in the pelvis. The histologic appearance of the tumor under the microscope is rather distinctive. Treatment consists of surgical excision […]
- Aggressive lymphoma
Aggressive lymphoma: A lymphoma that tends to grow and spread quickly and cause severe symptoms. In contrast to an indolent or low-grade lymphoma which tends to grow quite slowly and cause fewer symptoms. Aggressive lymphoma are also known as intermediate or high-grade lymphomas.